Contents.

CONTENTS .

LEADERS 353 Roval . Masonic Benevolent Institution 3-4 Lodge of Benevolence 354 The Provincial Grand Lodge of Berks and Bucks 355 North Africa 355 r .

iRRESPnXDEXCEThe Lodge of Benevolence 35 6 Grand Lodge ot New South Waks 356 A Masonic Hall for IM iddlescx 3 . ' > Ancient and Accepted Rite—A Query ... 35 1 Nominations 35 * * Reviews . ¦ 35 ^ Masonic Notes and Queries 357 Banquet to the Lord "Mayor hy the Alliance Lodge , No . 1 S 27 357

Consecration of the Fidelity and Sincerity Lodge , No . 1966 , at Wellington , Somersetshire 358 REI-IRTS OF MASO . VIC MEETINGSCraft Masonry 35 * 0 Instruction 3 61 Roval Arch -62

Ma ' rk Masonry 3 62 "Ros ' icruc ' ran Society 3 6 3 New South Wales 36 3 Funeral of the Late Bro . Francis Ouin , 32 3 6 3 The Theatres 3 <> 4 Music 3 6 4 Science and Art 3 6 4 Masonic and General Tidings 365 Lodge Meetings for Next Week 366

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WE trust that the Anniversary Festival of the Boys School , at Brighton , on Wednesday , the 28 th , will be a great success , and result in much . " grist to the mill . " Under the . distinguished presidency of Bro . the LORD MAYOR , G . J . W . of England , the interests of this great and useful charity of our Order will find a true friend , and wedoubtnot that numerous admirfngsupporters of

the Boys' School will rally round the Chairman , to testify alike their personal respect for him , and the high office he so ably fills , as well as to demonstrate their unchanged interest in the welfare and progress of a most important Educational Institution . Many will be unavoidably absent , owing to special and pressing engagements at this time of the year especially , who would gladly

have been present , but their hearts and sympathies will still accompany the festival in all its details , and theirs are indeed " Hearty Good Wishes " for a happy and triumphant gathering . We have not said much lately anent the

Boys' School , for one reason , that we have all seen the official circulars , and because we are also of opinion that it is sometimes unwise to seek to discount what to some extent should be a surprise , reflecting the greater credit on the energy of the Stewards and the labours of the Secretary .

Is it not a wonderful thing that Freemasons can never write upon any subject whatever , apparently , without at once degenerating into obvious personalities ? Whence is it ? Why is it ? We have often puzzled our brains to try and find out why Freemasons , of all people in the world , who are always professing fraternal goodwill , who call each other brethren , who are

supposed to imbibe a vast amount of the milk of human kindness , should the moment they rush into print become peremptory and pugnacious , sarcastic and satirical , in the same breath in the light or heavy words they so lucidly pen . We apprehend that this is one of the mysteries of our Craft , unexplained , inexplicable , which defies investigation and baffles curiosity ,

and which , perhaps , after all is said and done , it would be a great pity and even wrong to attempt todisenter from the ** darkness visible" in which our Masonic forefathers have no doubt purposely and wisely left it . And yet , at the same time , it seems to be a paradox which is most marked and unintelligble in itself , and reflects little credit on Freemasonry , and must do

Freemasonry a very great deal of harm in the minds of tolerant and circumspect outsiders . Is there no remedy for such Masonic efflorescence ? Is there no possible amelioration of a sort of normal Masonic state of mind , which seems to serve as a foil to those noble professions and those beneficent acts which so demonstrate and develope the utility and blessing of

Freemasonry to the world ? We trust that there is , and we hope that there is ; and we , therefore , once more beg respectfully to invite all our kind correspondents to p lace a little restraint on the vivacity of their ideas , and the acerbity of their pens . We do not think that any one correspondent is more to

blame than another in this really untoward state of things , which we beg to add , editorial supervision itself , unless all correspondence should cease , is in most cases impotent altogether to overrule or to prevent . We feel rather inclined to add , in fraternal exclamation , " Brother , brother , we are all of

us in the wrong ! IT seems to us that the time has come when the wide question of Masonic Insurance may be calmly and carefully considered . There are those of our good brethren who object "in limine" to the ventilation of all such subjects , because they think they discover therein a tendency to encourage

the " benefit-system-idea" of Freemasonry , which they state is the great danger of the hour to English Freemasonry . Now , we are no friends , whatever to any view of Freemasonry which brings in the " benefit system " ; on the contrary , we hold , and hold strongly , that any such theory or aim is Utterly inconsistent with every profession , every doctrine , every

arrangement of Freemasonry in its integrity and reality . And if we thought that what we now venture to suggest would any way foster or develope a "benefit " view of Freemasonry , we should be the last persons in the world to favour it or support it by friendly words or sympathetic counsels . But we believe such is not the case in the slightest degree , and so believing , our duty seems clear , and the propriety of our remarks undeniable .

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Any of us who have much to do with the administration of English Masonic charity must be gravely struck with the habitual improvidence of English Freemasons . If we were asked what feature , more than another , distinguished those who make such serious claims on our benevolent funds , the answer would be , must be , recklessness and want of forethought . Few

ever think of making provision for a rainy day ; few ever deem it their duty in prosperous hours to provide even a small assured amount for wife or children . But they appear before us themselves , and appeal to us by their utterly hopeless widows and orphans—entirely destitute of present means , completely bereft of future help . It has occurred to us that there is an opening

here , both for small insurances at death , deferred annuities to widows , and weekly allowances in sickness and decay . Is there no possibility by which , on commercial principles of business and commercial principles alone , such a system of insurance should be at once inaugurated and promoted 1 Many of our Craft who would be willing to do so , we believe , if they had the

power and opportunity , could thus , amid more comfortable seasons and scenes to-day , make preparations for a perhaps not long deferred trial and visitation . Such a fact would not militate with benevolent grants ; on the contrary , it would be an inducement to others to assist those who make a

" fair claim on their charity , " who know as a fact that in his lifetime , while he was able , in fair weather , the deceased or suffering brother had honestly and gallantly sought to make some provision for a rainy day . So let some wise heads amongst us look to it ; it is a subject worthy of the consideration of many a far-seeing and benevolent Freemason .

1 ¦ * * THE progress of Masonic archxology goes on apace , though we do not think that after all , despite many lucubrations and much controversy , we have gained very much ground , or settled definitely many " vexatre qu .-estiones . " No , here they are still to the fore , as vivacious , as irrepressible , as undecidable

as ever . And the reason of this state of things is we think also plain and simple . We at present are still to a great extent in the dark as to the past history of Freemasonry in this country . There have been various solutions of the remarkable fact of its existence and continuance , but so far , no one has been able to give a connected , or a satisfactory , or an exhaustive view of

its " raison d ' etre , " or its " modus vivendi" in the centuries which have passed away . We think we must all concede this one fact , be wc ever so critical , ever so doubting , ever so nihilistic ? The Freemasonry of 1717 was a perpetuation of something . What was that something' / Where is the evidence of it . How did it continue to exist ? Whence did it take its rise '"

And it is to this point that the attention of all thoughtful Masonic students are turned to-day . It is a " crux " which has so far evaded removal , but still we do not think thai , it is ' rremoveaWe . Far from it . A point which has latterly been brought more clearly out than before deserves especial study . It is this , that there was a seventeenth century Freemasonry in England probably

akin actually to that of 1717 ; and , curious enough , a good deal now centres upon ASHMOLE , who is the leading figure of that movement of which we find traces in 1646 , 1682 , 1686 , 1690 , and up lo 1700 . And thus does history repeat itself , and as there is really nothing new under the sun , the old theory of NICOLAI may be in part proved to be true , by the fact that

ASHMOLE did form part of a seventeenth century Freemasonry . The Gild life of the Operative Masons has yet to be more worked out before we can pronounce with safety what was their exact link with the Freemasonry of 1717 , and that very curious side of Masonic story , the pure Hermetic , of which Rosicrucianism was a development , has yet to receive the attention

which so far has been denied to it , and yet which it most distinctly deserves . The Talmudic and Cabalistic connection with Freemasonry is a very remarkable feature in its past existence , and calls for careful and accurate investigation . And if it be true , as has been suggested , that there is an early printed work on Freemasonry , though no workof the seventeenth century

is known so far to exist , we need hardly say if this work is discovered what a revolution must be created in Masonic history , in the "textus receptus " of Masonic annalism and legends . In the meantime , our learned Bro . R . F . GOULD is working hard , we understand , at his history of Freemasonry , and we need hardly add that we , in common with many other brethren , expect great things from Bro . GOULD .

* * * PRINCE ALEXANDER , of the Netherlands , has been , we are told by non-Masonic papers , elected G . M . . of the Grand Orient of the Netherlands . We hope that the fact is so , and that our worth y Dutch brethren may under his

regime be both prosperous and peaceful , flourish and progress in harmony and true Freemasonry . We trust they will avoid those " will o' the wisps " of change and the like in the landmarks of Freemasonry which the French Grand Orient has so unwisely set on foot , and which can only end in a complete sundering of our one great Masonic Cosmopolitan Family .